PM Modi, Shinzo Abe visit 16th century mosque in Ahmedabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe along with Japan’s first lady Akie Abe visited a 16th century mosque in the old city of Ahmedabad, Sidi Saiyyed Ki Jaali, on Wednesday.

Sinzo Abe is on a two-day visit to Gujarat.

Pm Modi took the Japanese duo for a tour of the complex which is famous for its latticework windows. The mosque was built in 1573 by the retinue of Ahemad Shah Bilal Jhajar Khan, a General in the army of the last Sultan Shams-ud-Din Muzaffar Shah III of the Gujarat Sultanate.

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Akie Abe were personally received by the Modi at at the Sardar Vallabhhai Patel International airport, sources said.

On Thursday, Modi and Abe will participate in the stone laying ceremony of the Rs 1.08 lakh crore Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail project at the Athletic Stadium near Sabarmati railway station. With capacity to accommodate 750 people, the bullet train is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities from seven to roughly three hours.

They will also chair the 12th Annual Bilateral Summit in Gandhinagar. Japan and Russia are the only two countries with which India has such an annual summit mechanism.

This will be the fourth annual summit between Modi and Abe, where they are expected to review the progress between the countries under the framework of their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

The two Prime Ministers will also attend an India-Japan Business Leaders Forum.